1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to backing and support assemblies for decorative elements and particularly to assemblies for supporting photographs or other small pictures upstanding on a horizontal surface.
2. Description of Related Art
One common type of assembly for this purpose comprises a flat panel to which is hingedly connected a support leg so that the leg can be extended at an angle to the panel so as to rest on a supporting surface and hold the panel at an appropriate angle. One such form of assembly is shown in British Patent No. 2216410 where the support leg is connected to the panel by an elongate stay the lower end of which is hingedly connected to the panel and the upper end of which is hingedly connected to a location on the support leg intermediate its upper and lower ends. The upper end of the support leg is then detachably engageable with a formation on the panel which retains the leg in position at an angle to the panel so that the lower end of the support leg can rest on the horizontal supporting surface. British Patent No. 2216410 describes an arrangement where such an assembly provides a backing for a rectangular rigid picture frame.
While such an arrangement is very effective and provides a stable support for a picture frame, there is a requirement for a backing and support assembly which is cheaper and easier to manufacture by being formed in one piece from a single panel, and also where a frame for a photograph may be incorporated in the panel itself. For example, it is common practice for photographers to visit schools, universities and similar establishments to take photographs of the students and then to supply mounted copies of the photographs at comparatively low cost. It is desirable to supply each photograph mounted in such a way that it may be displayed upstanding on a horizontal surface without the necessity of mounting the photograph in a comparatively elaborate free-standing frame. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, therefore, the backing and support assembly is further provided with means for mounting a photograph, or other picture, on the assembly in an attractive manner, but at low cost.
Low cost self-supporting card mounts for photographs are known, but in the known arrangements the support leg usually comprises a simple elongate portion which is cut out from the panel so as to remain hingedly connected to it at its upper end. The leg is then simply bent at an angle, out of the plane of the panel, so that its lower end can rest on the horizontal surface on which the mount is to stand. However, such arrangements tend to be comparatively fragile and unstable and, due to the necessary geometry, hold the mount at a lower angle than is optimally desirable.
The present invention sets out to provide an improved form of assembly where these disadvantages may be overcome.
However, the backing and support assembly according to the present invention may also be used as a backing and support for other forms of decorative element. For example, since it may be cheaply manufactured in one piece, it may provide a backing and support assembly for low cost disposable items such as greeting cards and similar decorative items. Also, although the backing and support assembly according to the present invention is particularly suitable for such low cost uses, there is no reason why the assembly of the present invention might not also be used in more elaborate devices, for example as a backing panel and support assembly for a conventional photograph frame of wood, metal, plastics or other material from which such frames are conventionally made.